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Becoming a Woman of Purity

Like most authors and speakers, I spend a lot of time traveling. Sometimes I am asked to stay in the home of a church member, but typically a hotel room is booked for me. During the course of my ministry, I have stayed in some rather posh places. I have also stayed in some places I wouldn’t dare mention for fear of a lawsuit.

One thing you can always count on—whether in a roach motel or a five-star/five-diamond establishment—there will be “amenities” in the bathroom.

I have my favorites, of course. When I walk in and see products from Bath & Body Works or Crabtree & Evelyn, I’m nearly giddy. There’s another line that—although not necessary known for being an “indulgence” product—is, none-the-less, good. It’s called Purity Basics®.

I especially like the French milled bath and facial soap. I even like its cover, a white wrapper with a baby blue front. In the very center is a lush tree in the middle of a misty field. The word “purity” is printed in small case, the word “BASICS” is in large. Just under this is—again in small case lettering—the phrase: cleanse your body.

Body & Soul

Last year I sent to my editor and publisher what was, no doubt, the most fun book I have ever written. Oasis; A Spa for Body & Soul (Baker/Revell, 2007) is a look at how we girls take such high maintenance care of our bodies and how we can, hopefully, mirror that care toward our spiritual selves. Using metaphor, I take a look at things like “exercise” and then mirror it with “working out” our salvation. “Eye care” (including various ways to wear eye makeup, how to arch your brow, etc.) is then shifted to a look at David’s words found in Psalm 101: I will set before my eyes no vile thing.

So, when I see something like “purity basics…cleanse your body….” my mind naturally wanders to the metaphorical obvious: what French milled soap can do for our bodies, the Lord can do for our souls.

Washed in the Blood

Do you remember when—as a child—you took your own version of a bath? Do you remember seeing your mother glare down at your dirty face and hands not five minutes after you came from the tub? Do you recall her words?

“Did you bathe?”

“Uh, yes ma’am.”

“Did you use soap and water?”

“Uh, yes ma’am.”

Then, horror of horrors. Mother went to the tub for closer inspection only to find it completely dry. Lifting a brow, she asked, “Can you tell me why the tub is dry?”

Caught. Not just dirty but guilty, too.

There is an old hymn which asks the question:

Are you washed in the blood,In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?[1]

The concept within the four verses and repeated refrain is simple. You might even say that it is basic. By going to Jesus and allowing His blood to “wash you clean” you become sanctified. By definition, to be sanctified is to be “set apart to a sacred purpose.”[2] For a Christian, to be sanctified is to be set apart by God.

Another Metaphor…of Sorts

In the 12th chapter of Exodus, the Lord instructs Moses and His people (per household or family) to slaughter a year-old male lamb without defect and then to take some of its blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they (will also) eat the lambs. Exodus 12:12 records:

On that same night I will pas through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.

This was, of course, a foreshadowing of what was to come. As Jesus’ blood poured from His crucified body and then metaphorically over us upon our acceptance of Him as our Lord and Savior, we became “washed in the blood.”

But we have to get in the “tub.” We have to pick up the “soap.” One day we will stand before His Father as we stood before our mothers and He will ask, “Did you bathe?”

There is more, of course. The before mentioned old hymn references that once “washed” we are called to daily walk within that washing. Sadly, just as our bodies do, our souls get dirty all over again. David, after his affair with Bathsheba, cried out to God:

This was the only man recorded as being after the heart of God and yet he still had to “bathe” all over again.

Basic Purity: Clean Your Soul…

The first step, then, is to just get in the tub! Or, in this case, come to Calvary. Come to the understanding that we are dirty, but He can cleanse us and that, without His “soul cleaning blood,” we cannot be sanctified.

It’s so simple, isn’t it?

It’s so…basic.

Eva Marie Everson is an award-winning author and speaker. Her upcoming book, Oasis; A Spa for Body & Soul will be released in March. For more information, go to www.EvaMarieEverson.com and click on “Books.”